


A Lady and her Dragon

by LooseScrewsLefty



Series: Animaegis AU [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Guardian Spirits AU, Ivan/Mylene (Background), Tom/Sabine (Background)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 12:52:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14425806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LooseScrewsLefty/pseuds/LooseScrewsLefty
Summary: Ever since she was a child, Marinette couldn't wait for the day she met her Soulmate and got an Animaegis all her own. And after meeting Adrien Agreste and falling in love with him under an umbrella in the rain, she knew that he had to be the one for her. His kiss had to be the one she was waiting for.So what's she supposed to do when she wakes up and finds an Animaegis waiting for her after she planted one on a mind-controlled Chat Noir?





	A Lady and her Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this fic for SO LONG people. Started it, strapped it, restarted it and stopped to tweak it so many time that it has started to become something of a nemesis to me. Now though, at last, I think I've wrangled it enough to start posting. I should have the first chapter of the partner fic up to this before the week is out, too, so be on the lookout for that!

**In Her Tower**

Marinette sighed heavily, slumping against her chaise and closing her eyes in exhaustion while she listened to Alya cackle loudly to herself as she made her way down the stairs to head back to her own home. Honestly, she could understand her best friend’s mirth. She’d probably find this whole thing funny herself in a few days. But, as for right now…

“I can’t  _ believe _ I forgot to sign my Valentine’s Day card to Adrien...” she moaned miserably to herself, “I am such a flake.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it so much, Marinette!” Tikki chirped sweetly as she emerged from her hiding spot to comfort her young human ward. “It was an honest mistake. I’m sure you’ll have other chances in the future!” a soft smile found its way to Marinette’s lips at the encouragement, affectionately holding her kwami a little closer in gratitude.

“Yeah, you’re right. I might’ve forgotten to sign my name this time, but I’ll have other chances to show Adrien that I care. And even if it’s unsigned, I still sent Adrien my poem! He’s going to read it and maybe… I mean, if his poem really was about me, maybe he’ll know I sent the reply? And maybe he’ll approach me about it?”

“That’s the spirit!” Tikki said with a beaming smile at Marinette, who grinned back at her before shaking her head with a bemused smile.

“You know this isn’t how I saw this Valentine’s Day going down,” she admitted.

“Which part?” Tikki asked, her expression going sly. “The akuma? Getting a poem from Adrien and sending him a reply? Or kissing Chat Noir?”

“Try all of the above,” Marinette said, her cheeks going red as she glowered at her Kwami at the reminder of the kiss. She was not at all fooled by the way Tikki smiled at her innocently in response to the dirty look being leveled at her.

“Speaking of the kiss--”

“I’d rather not,” Marinette grumbled, face darkening even more. She wanted so badly to maintain a professional air about what had transpired earlier between her and her partner, but she knew Tikki wouldn’t be fooled for a minute, the deceptively sweet little devil… “you know I like Adrien, Tikki. Kissing Chat Noir was…  _ business _ . Save-The-World Business! I had to do it.”

“I know, Marinette. I’m only teasing,” Tikki giggled, giving her ward a look of amusement, “was kissing Chat really that awful, though?”

“I wouldn’t say awful, but it it probably would have been better if Chat wasn’t being brainwashed into being evil,” Marinette answered absentmindedly, refusing to look at her Kwami as she replied. There was something to the kiss, if Marinette was completely honest with herself. A spark she wasn’t expecting to find, that made her forget everything- the akuma, cataclysm burning so close to her face, her poem to Adrien- and focus completely on Chat Noir, like they were the only two people in the world. Marinette wanted to blame it on the adrenaline, but she knew that there was something else there she was reluctant to poke too hard at, for several reasons.

“I’m sure you could always ask for an Un-Brainwashed repeat experience for a comparison. Chat Noir would probably be happy to oblige,” Tikki suggested with a sly smile.

“Yeah,  **_no_ ** . That’s not happening,” Marinette said with an air of absolute conviction.

“But don’t you think-?”

“Not ha~appening!” Marinette sang, heading for her trapdoor as a giggling Tikki tucked herself away in her jacket. Marinette huffed a little at the little Creation God’s mirth. She knew that Tikki was only having a little fun, and she didn’t seriously think that Marinette should start making out with her partner for kicks. If anything, she’d more than likely voice her disapproval if Marinette started exploiting the magic of a miraculous that was meant to protect the innocent for steamy make outs on the Eiffel Tower or whatever (not that Marinette  _ would _ have steamy make outs on the Eiffel Tower, since the place was always crawling with tourists and she really didn’t want those photos all over the Ladyblog for the entire world to see. Thanks but  _ no thanks _ ).

Tikki was just trying to get Marinette flustered.

And Marinette hated that it worked even though she knew that.

Descending the stairs, Marinette smiled as she heard the telltale skittering of nails against the floor before she was greeted by a tawny French Bulldog with a blue kerchief tied around his neck. The dog practically bounced as it came to shower Marinette with affection, looking almost like an ordinary pet in appearance save for the soft, glowing aura that haloed the animal, which clearly signified that it was an Animaegis, a mystical guardian beast that appeared to protect one’s Soulmate after they shared their first kiss. 

The animal-based soul guardians were all unique, changing from person to person to take on a form to represent one’s other half. They protected the one they were bonded to, and provided comfort and support in any way they could. Though actually finding your Soulmate was incredibly rare so they weren’t commonly seen. Less than 5% of the population of France had a known Soulmate, according to a statistic Max had told her at one point, but Marinette had a much harder time appreciating the rarity of that than most people since her parents had beaten those odds and found one another, as was made clear by the Frenchie Animaegis that had begun weaving between her legs after she took her foot off the last step, its tail wagging with enthusiastic adoration.

“Macaron! You’re going to trip me!” She laughed, but obliged the cuddly little spirit by picking him up and scratching behind his ears.

“He’s been in high spirits all day,” Sabine complained, though the smile tugging on her lips betrayed her own affections, “your father loves Valentine’s Day so much that it affects his mood. So much love and happiness in the air…”

“Whenever there aren’t also Akumas flying around up there too you mean,” Marinette said dryly as she deposited the dog spirit back on the ground.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir handled that just fine,” Sabine reminded her daughter with a laugh, “honestly, sweetheart. You need to have more faith in them. They’re perfectly capable heroes.”

“Oh that’s alright,” Marinette responded with a secretive little smile, “so long as you and Papa have faith in them, then I’m sure that’ll be enough,” Sabine shot her a quizzical look at that, which only made Marinette’s smile widen. 

While she never enjoyed keeping secrets from her parents or friends, there were times she found strength in the way they all honestly and unconditionally supported and admired her hero identity without knowing that it was her that they believed in, even back when she had been almost crippled by self-doubt and terrified that she’d mess everything up and all the people she cared about would have to pay the price.

Seeing the ones she loved all so sure of Ladybug and her capabilities even with so much on the line just strengthened her determination to protect them, no matter the cost. She just couldn’t let that faith go in vain.

Before Sabine could comment on her daughter’s oddly cryptic words, a bird’s cry broke the air as the door opened and Tom stepped inside the living area with a beaming smile under his mustache and a happy twinkle in his eye that mirrored Macaron’s own joyful attitude, which immediately brought a responding grin to Marinette’s face. Perched on her father’s shoulder was a glowing Eurasian Magpie, the source of the noise, and as Tom closed the door behind him the bird took to the air to fly around happily for a moment before settling on top of Marinette’s head and giving her a quick little peck on the cheek, prompting Marinette to giggle and kiss the bird’s beak in return.

"Hello Sweetie!" The bird said as it settled comfortably into Marinette's hair.

"Hi, Chance," Marinette greeted in return, grinning at her parents in delight.

“You must be in a good mood, cheri,” Tom commented with a chuckle as he shut the door behind him. “Chance has been singing all morning. It’s really put a spring in my step.”

“Mmm, I’ve noticed,” Sabine teased, stretching up onto her toes as her husband came over swooped down to meet her with a loving kiss. Marinette grinned to herself as she watched them from where she sat on the couch, her lap quickly occupied by Macaron.

“Oh, to have a Soulmate on Valentine’s Day...” she said wistfully, shaking her head with a long sigh. Tom and Sabine grinned at her in response.

“So when are you going to plant one on your model and see if you get an Animaegis of your own?” Tom asked with a pointed waggle of his eyebrows.

“Papa!” Marinette exclaimed, the scandalized tone she was going for ruined by the laugh she couldn’t keep from escaping, secretly thrilled that her father was thought there was a chance that Adrien was her Soulmate.

“It’d certainly be a relief to see you get an Animaegis,” Sabine agreed with a hum, eyeing the way Chance and Macaron snuggled up to her daughter with a sly smile. “Maybe then I wouldn’t have to practically drag you out of bed every morning to make sure you get to school on time.”

“Maman! Not you too!” Marinette exclaimed, moaning at the betrayal. Her parents only laughed though.

“We’re only joking, Marinette. We know it’s uncommon for a girl your age to find a Soulmate,” Sabine chuckled, “your father and I didn’t find each other until we were in university.”

“And you had an emergency back home with Grandma and bought a ticket for a last minute flight to China to see her,” Marinette recited, smiling at the story which she’d heard a hundred time before, yet never seemed to get sick of, “you couldn’t find a ride to the airport though, but Papa saw you crying on the sidewalk and stopped on his bicycle to help. He pedaled you all the way to the airport as fast as he could and you made it just in time and kissed him out of gratitude. And the next morning, you woke up and found Macaron waiting for you at the foot of your bed.”

“It took every ounce of self restraint I had not to fly out after her once I realized she was my Soulmate,” Tom said with a laugh, “even though all I knew about her at the time was her first name, and that she had to visit her family in China due to an emergency. I would have searched every last house in Wanzhou to find her again if I had to.”

“Thankfully, it didn’t come to that,” Sabine said. “I remembered the logo from the bakery that Tom was delivering from, and called them up to ask if I could get in touch with him.”

“And the rest, as they say, is history,” Tom finished cheerfully, kissing Sabine’s cheek as she giggled.

_ I can’t wait until I have a story like that. _ Marinette thought wistfully, smiling to herself. She’d already had countless fantasies about how she and Adrien might have their first kiss, and how she would wake up the following morning to find an Animaegis waiting for her. Would they kiss under an umbrella as the rain fell around them, just like when she first fell in love with him? Or in a garden, after a romantic dinner and some dancing? Maybe under the glow of the Bastille Day fireworks, or while sitting next to a fire on Christmas Eve night to wake up to a truly magical present on Christmas morning.

It wasn’t until her parents’ laughter brought her back down to Earth that Marinette realized she’d lost herself to her fantasies once more, and had been smiling blankly into space as her imagination ran wild. Puffing her cheeks out, Marinette threw her parent’s a mock glare, which only made them laugh louder.

“Come on, sweetheart,” Sabine chuckled, “why don’t you help me start dinner?”

“And I’ll put the finishing touches on dessert,” Tom offered, giving Sabine one last, lingering embrace before heading back down to the bakery. Marinette smiled to herself as she followed her mother into their small kitchen. 

She just couldn’t wait to have that type of relationship with Adrien one day…

* * *

 

Something was poking her.

Marinette groaned in protest at the action, swatting the assailant away with her hand and then rolling on her side to get away and back to the sleep she so desperately needed. 

She’d spent all night working on her homework in her room after dinner, giving her parents a little privacy for a romantic holiday night together while also making sure she was prepared for class with Bustier. Then after she had finished she started texting Kim to make sure he was okay after everything that happened, while also getting Alya, Rose, Mylene, Juleka, and Alix to agree that they should all bring flowers the next morning to help him through his heartbreak.

She’d stayed up after her friends went to bed to design dresses inspired by bluebells (which had absolutely nothing to do with Adrien’s ‘bluebell eyes’ poem, of course) until Tikki almost forced her to go to bed around 2 AM. 

Needless to say, she was  _ Not Ready _ to face whatever the day had to bring, and the incessant poking at her side- which returned with a vigor despite her earlier swatting- was not making her any more eager to leave the bliss of the unconscious world behind.

It was only when something began growling and trying to pull her duvet off her body that Marinette realized there was something odd about her wake up call this morning.

“Tikki?” she questioned blearily, rubbing at her barely open eyes with the heel of her palm as she held firm to her blanket to keep from losing it.

“Hmm?” The half asleep Kwami responded by Marinette’s neck- far away from whatever was growling and trying to steal the covers.

And just like that, Marinette was wide awake and upright.

Her surprise caused her to lose her grip on the blanket that she’d been playing tug-o-war with, so when her intruder gave another hard yank the comforter went flying- along with whatever was trying to wake her up- over the railing to crash against the wall and land in a tangled heap on top of the trap door. Marinette shot straight up and leaned over the railing that her mystery assailant had toppled over, wide-eyed as she stared at the stolen blanket in shock. After a moment of stillness, the blanket began to move and squirm, which resulted in Marinette squeaking and falling back onto her bed in surprise where she then crab crawled in reverse across the mattress to pin herself against the wall.

“What was  _ that _ ?” Tikki asked, awakened by the chaos and floating worriedly next to Marinette’s head.

“I don’t know,” Marinette admitted, biting her lip anxiously, “wait up here. I’ll check it out.” The Kwami watched anxiously as Marinette carefully made her way down the stairs to the still-squirming blanket. Approaching slowly, the girl sank into a crouch and took a corner of the blanket in her hand, tearing it off to reveal her intruder.

Needless to say, her jaw nearly hit the floor when she found that the covers had been concealing a small, glowing dragon.

“Whu- huh?” Marinette babbled, the blanket slipping out of her hand as she stared at the creature in shock. While definitely NOT what Marinette was expecting to find in her room at six thirty in the morning, the dragon wasn’t big or scary. Truth be told, once Marinette got over her shock enough to properly look at it, it was actually rather cute. 

It was about the size of a large house cat, with scales so dark that they looked almost black at first glance before the light caught them and made them flash a beautiful peacock green. Its body was sleek and leggy, with a swan-like neck and a long tail that ended in silvery spikes. A pair of wings were tucked tightly against its body, and silvery white horns decorated its brow and the top of its head, trailing down the back of its neck. Large ears pointed straight up on the side if its round head, which flopped a little when the little dragon shook off the blow it had taken before blinking its large, jewel-green eyes a few times in surprise at finding itself freed from the covers that had been keeping it imprisoned. Then its attention settled on Marinette’s stunned form and, suddenly, it nearly lit up in delight.

Marinette- who was still trying to process the fact that a dragon had just stolen her blanket- didn’t have time to react when the small mythical beast barreled at her with the affectionate energy of a hyperactive yellow lab, knocking her clear off her feet and onto her chaise while it settled on her chest with a satisfied purr.

“Marinette?” Tikki said, floating down to stare at the creature in shock. “Is… is that…?”

“A dragon? Yeah. Still trying to wrap my mind around that one too,” Marinette said faintly, sitting up and carefully depositing the dragon into her lap, where it curled itself into a happy ball.

“No. I mean, yes, it is, but…” Tikki hesitated for a moment, looking anxiously between Marinette and the beast in her lap, “Marinette… I’m pretty sure that’s an Animaegis.”

An Animaegis? Marinette paused for a second to consider this. Yes, the creature did seem to fit that bill, now that Marinette really looked at it. And while an Animaegis taking the form of mythical beast was extremely rare, it wasn’t unheard of. They were actually held in the highest of esteem, since they represented truly incredible souls with great destinies ahead of them.

“But that doesn’t make sense. How did an Animaegis get in my room while I was sleeping?” Marinette asked, looking up at her closed window and down at the trapdoor, which was still firmly shut. Animaegises were magical, but they were physical creatures, they couldn’t phase through solid objects like walls. As Marinette considered this, she looked down at the still purring dragon in her lap, “and why is it so attached to me? Shouldn’t it be with whoever it’s supposed to be protecting?”

Marinette looked back up at her Kwami as she asked that question, blinking in surprise at the incredulous look on Tikki’s face. Those were legitimate questions, so there was no reason for the immortal sprite to be staring at her as though she’d just asked if one plus one equaled red. She knew how Soulmates and Animaegises worked, she’d only been around them her entire life after all. An Animaegis would appear the day after you kiss your Soulmate…

...and 

…

...and Ladybug kissed Chat Noir yesterday.

MARINETTE kissed Chat Noir yesterday.

She kissed her partner. And woke up with an Animaegis.

“...It’s mine,” Marinette realized, stunned to the point of feeling faint, “it’s my Animaegis. Chat Noir is my soulmate.”

And Marinette Dupain-Cheng had no idea how she was meant to feel about that.

“M-Marinette?” Tikki asked carefully, flying closer to the girl with worry clear in her big blue eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I… I don’t know. Maybe?” Marinette asked. She couldn’t describe HOW she felt, other than ‘shocked.’ She’d been infatuated with Adrien for so long that she had never given her partner’s flirting more than a passing consideration. And it wasn’t like this new revelation suddenly erased the fact that she adored the shy, sweet model in her class, or made her suddenly desire to run off and get married to Chat Noir in spite the fact that they were apparently destined for one another.

Marinette had always tried to stay as detached as she possibly could when it came to her duties as Ladybug. If she let herself get too emotional it could affect her judgement or make her second guess herself again, and she couldn’t afford that. Not with so many people counting on Ladybug to save the day. 

Which meant that even now, for something that was supposed to be as pure and emotional as it came- Her SOULMATE, of all things- she felt herself cataloging. Trying to assess how to approach this so it didn’t end with half of Paris on fire and magical jewelry in the possession of a super villain who made a hobby out of literally getting into people’s heads and brainwashing them into committing acts of domestic terrorism. Because even though she trusted the Soulmate bond with everything she had, she took her duties as Ladybug much too seriously to forego them.

“I have to talk to Chat Noir,” Marinette decided, not taking her eyes off of the dragon in her lap, “we need to make sure we’re on the same page… and…”

“I understand, Marinette,” Tikki said with a sad but knowing smile, “the Miraculous can act as a Port for an Animaegis when you transform. It’ll draw the Animaegis in in order to protect your identity. You might want to hurry though. You still have school this morning too.”

“Right,” Marinette nodded, taking a deep breath, “Tikki, spots on!” 

A flash of magic later, Ladybug found herself standing in Marinette’s room alone. As she made her way to the roof to try and scour the city for her partner (she couldn’t think of him as her soulmate yet. Not when Adrien's smile still made her head spin, and his eyes could capture her in a trap she never wanted to break free from) she started to consider what to say to her lovable, fun-loving catboy when she found him.

And she hoped his morning had gone better than hers had so far.


End file.
